Dionne Lew, a spokeswoman forV/Line, the company that operated the train, said 37 people were on the train at the time it hit the truck at a level crossing which was not guarded by gates. The circumstances of the accident were to be investigated, she added.

Police, ambulance crews and emergency service volunteers were at the scene at the Burrumbeet crossing in Trawalla, between the towns of Ballarat and Ararat, about 200 kilometers west of Victoria state capital, Melbourne.

The train, which travels at speeds of up to 160 kph (100 mph), was traveling from Ararat to the state capital Melbourne.